
While I am sure that it's something in the back of all of their minds, especially because of their being in the public eye, but I highly doubt that this is most important to anyone who is expecting a child. There are multiple problems with scrutinizing pregnant and post pregnant bodies in the media. For one thing, it tells us that media viewers are given power to make judgements about celebrity bodies. Secondly, it teaches us that pregnancy is something negative, simply because women get fat (which is necessary for the health of mother and baby). And lastly, it tells us that weight loss is the most important thing to aspire to after having a baby.
All of these things are wrong, wrong, wrong! First of all, no one has the right to judge someone's body, especially when they have just created a human life. Giving a birth is an amazing thing but it is hard on the female body. The female body deserves time to naturally recover from what is has been through without the extra pressure from society! I don't know why we are so shocked when celebrities and public figures still show a bit of their baby bump only days or weeks after giving birth. It's natural! Most women are advised by their doctors that they need to weight at least one month before beginning any exercise!
Many celebrities have teams behind them pressuring or "supporting" them in their instant weight loss after giving birth...mostly because many of their jobs require them to be thin. When celebrities are able to lose the weight quickly, these stories create an unrealistic challenge for Average mommy's who may feel inadequate in comparison to model and celebrity weight loss "successes." A few weeks after a celebrity has a baby you often see them grace the cover of magazines with headlines suggesting that the weight just melted away once they started dieting and exercising. Even so, a lot of what we see in the media is manipulated. For example, see the before and after photographs of Kourtney Kardashian who's baby bump was Photoshopped away in OK! magazine shortly after giving birth. And take a look at Mariah Carrie who shows no signs of stretch marks or a post baby bump!
I also really hate how stories are created by assuming or making up thoughts for what celebrities are feeling like in their post baby bodies. Headlines like "Not ready for her close up" or "Won't make public appearance until post baby weight is gone." Regardless of the celebrity, the rumours begin to float around on whether she will make an appearances for society to view her body progress. The media has speculated that celebrity Kim Kardashian refuses to make a public appearance until her baby weight is gone...but are we really going to believe this? This was a woman who clearly had no problem being in the public eye while pregnant, so why would she get "shy" just because she has given birth? The only explanation for me would be to avoid the ridiculous questions that the media feels entitled to asking. Could you imagine being a celebrity in this situation...when are you going to lose the baby weight? have you visited the gym yet? On the other hand, some media outlets are giving a lot of credit to Kate Middleton who recently gave birth! She was out in public days after the birth of her son and she was not hiding her post baby bump even though it was rather visible. Good for her! What do you think about the media's post baby body obsession? Is enough, enough? |